British Heart Foundation

We're less than 5,000 away from our 50K #HeartsNeedMore pledge goal! Help us get the final signatures and urge the Government to prioritise heart disease and implement a new Heart Disease Action Plan: https://lnkd.in/eyhQYKKu.

Earlier this month, the BHF was the supporting charity at the 50th anniversary event of The ReallyBigChorus' Messiah from Scratch at Royal Albert Hall. The night consisted of an auction with unique prizes along with our brilliant volunteers selling programmes and sharing our lifesaving research to touch the hearts of audience members. Altogether, the evening raised a remarkable £18,300! Thank you so much to everyone who got involved to support the BHF ♥️

“It dawned on me how many people I know whose lives have been affected by heart and circulatory diseases. In the past three years I’ve lost three friends and one of my customers to heart related deaths.” On Sunday 20th October, Neil Lee, 56, who has worked for Royal Mail for nearly four decades, was inspired to raise awareness and funds for the BHF. He took to the streets of Maidstone to complete the half marathon in 2 hours, raising over £1,333. Neil said, "I saw my Royal Mail colleagues all over the UK taking on their own challenges and raising funds for the BHF and knew I wanted to do my own to honour friend's past and present." Talking about the half marathon, Neil said: "I was chuffed I managed to get round a lot quicker than I thought. I know the guys would have been proud of what I achieved and would feel touched that I did it for them." Our partnership with the Royal Mail is helping to fund the BHF Community Defibrillator Funding Programme, helping local communities get access to lifesaving defibrillators across the UK - something Neil is deeply passionate about after witnessing a cardiac arrest on his postal round last year. It was a day Neil will never forget. He was undergoing his usual round in Grove Green last April when he came across a man collapsed on the ground, not breathing. Neil sprang into action and started to perform CPR with another passer-by while someone else called an ambulance. Tragically, the man didn’t survive, something Neil has had to struggle to come to terms with. He said: "I always wonder if there was something else, I could do. But sadly, for different reasons not everyone can be saved. I tell myself doing something that day was better than doing nothing." As a safety rep at Maidstone Royal Mail Office for the past 12 years, Neil knows the importance of CPR, he said; "As part of my safely role, it includes making sure people are equipped with the lifesaving skills they need. I never imagined I would have to use them. After witnessing the cardiac arrest, I felt like I needed to do something. I decided to write to our local MP who was already involved with trying to have more defibs in local areas." Talking about our charity partnership, Neil expressed, "It's great to hear that money raised by Royal Mail colleagues is going into the heart of the community and will help save lives by getting more defibs in more areas for easy access. I’m hoping to continue to raise funds and awareness for the BHF and encourage everyone I know to learn CPR via their RevivR tool." Thank you so much to Neil and his amazing support and fundraising efforts ♥️

Did you know, around 3 in 10 adults in the UK have high blood pressure? It doesn’t usually come with symptoms, and it’s estimated that there are 16 million adults in the UK with it, and at least 5 million don’t know they have it. Knowing you have high blood pressure could prevent life-threatening complications like a heart attack and stroke. Take the stress away by measuring your blood pressure in the comfort of your own home with our one of our easy-to-use monitors. What’s more, you can get up to 25% off selected monitors on our online shop if you order by 14th December and all profits help fund life-saving research: www.bhf.org.uk/bpm.

Congenital heart disease refers to a range of heart defects present from birth. Heart defects are diagnosed in at least 1 in 150 births – that's an average of 13 babies each day in the UK. Thanks to pioneering research, more than 8 out of 10 babies survive to adulthood. Swipe to find out more.

Did you know CPR is a mandatory curriculum training course in the UK? Take the stress out of teaching CPR with Classroom RevivR - our free, interactive CPR training tool. We were at The Schools & Academies Show to demonstrate how to use the tool so teachers can create the next generation of lifesavers. #SAAShow

In honour of #WorldChildrensDay, spend a few minutes watching highlights from our amazing Young Heart Hero Awards. A wonderful day of celebration in recognition of our brilliant, heroic and fantastic heart patients aged 11 and under ❤️

Yesterday, we shared a story about two brothers, Lennox and Sonny, living with congenital heart conditions. Today, we highlight BHF-funded research that is providing hope for families like theirs. World-leading professors like Massimo Caputo and his colleagues are exploring advances in heart surgery and related care. This includes improving valve replacement surgery, better prescribing medications around operations, and using AI to predict who will need surgery in the future. We’re asking for your support to give a gift that keeps on living. By donating to fund lifesaving research like Professor Caputo’s, you can help keep families together this Christmas and for many more to come. Find out more and help fund lifesaving research: https://lnkd.in/ev2djUfD. Please share to raise more awareness.

“When I look at Lennox and Sonny, I just feel so emotional and full of pride in how they’ve dealt with everything.” says their Mum, Danielle. Lennox, six, and Sonny, almost four, are excited to share Christmas with their family. Lennox was just days old when he was diagnosed with aortic stenosis (AS), a condition that restricts blood flow through the heart. At eight weeks, he underwent the Ross procedure to replace his faulty aortic valve. Sonny was also diagnosed with AS at his 20-week scan and later with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). He needed vital surgery early in his life and spent his first weeks in the hospital. We’re funding world leading Professors like Massimo Caputo, Serban Stoica, and Giovanni Biglino who are exploring advances in heart surgery and related care. This includes research that’s improving valve replacement surgery, better prescribing of medications around operations, and using AI to predict who will need surgery in the future. Watch this space as we share more about this research tomorrow. We hope Sonny, Lennox, and their whole family have the best Christmas ever. ❤️ bhf.org.uk/SonnyandLennox

Artificial Intelligence (AI) could predict type 2 diabetes risk up to 10 years in advance, reveals research we’ve funded at Imperial College London, presented today at the American Heart Association conference. #AHA24 https://bit.ly/4hMs3iz